What an interesting January we have experienced both weather-wise and in the real estate business. We have golfed and we have shoveled snow/ice this month. We have had multiple contracts on some houses, and we have had houses sitting on the market (with no showings) for days and even weeks. We have had mild temperatures and we have had especially cold days. We have had 30 plus people at open houses on weekends and we have had no visitors at others. We have windy days and days that had no breezes. We have seen mortgage interest rates go up and now they are at yearly lows. And, like the temperatures this week, we have seen inventory levels drop to 14-year lows. As I said, it was a very
interesting January.

The biggest question we have in the real estate industry is… When will more houses come on the market for sale? Historically we have seen houses start go up for sale the second week of February. So, will this year be the same or will we continue along the same path we are on now…inventory levels going down? The answer is, time will tell. In conversations with agents across our five offices, we are hearing about some houses will be “coming soon” but not a significant
number of them. If you are considering selling, this could be your perfect time to do so.

What is odd to me, and others, is prices are not escalating like you might expect. The tried and true economic theory of supply and demand in regard to pricing does not apply in this market. We have a lack of supply and LOTS of demand, but prices are staying relatively flat and, in some situations, we are even seeing price reductions fairly regularly. Additionally, in several multiple contract situations, we have not seen escalation clauses or even full price offers. Going back to my
original sentence, it was an interesting January.

All this being said, we can provide you with the right advice on how you should approach this “interesting” market. Whether you are selling or buying a home, each market and personal situation is different.
So, give me a call to learn more.
Happy Valentine’s Day!

Empowered with Knowledge
First-time, homebuying millennials are much more informed when it comes to renovations, repairs and real estate process than other generations. Growing up during the development of the internet has made them very tech and research savvy and able to find ways to access important information such as listings, neighborhood reports, HGTV home renovation videos and other types of industry information on their own. In 2019, they will rely on real estate agents to share information that they can’t find online such as neighborhood developments, local market forecasts, local housing regulations and more.

Buying homes – despite rising rates
Millennials continue to make up the largest segment of buyers, accounting for 45 percent of mortgages, compared to 17 percent of baby boomers and 37 percent of Generation Xers. While first-time buyers will struggle, older millennial move-up buyers will have more options in the mid-to upper-tier price point and will make up most of the millennials who close in 2019. As their housing needs adjust over time, millennials are on track to make up the largest share of homebuyers for the next decade.

Sweat Equity
Many millennials grew up watching renovations and makeovers on HGTV, which means many of them are ready to invest sweat equity in their new home. Millennial homebuyers, overall, are more aware of the costs, work and implications of renovations than the previous generations. This is good news as interest rates rise and buyers should be prepared to settle for homes in need of TLC.

New Buying Strategies
Social media continues to impact millennial homebuying habits. They rely on online reviews to make purchasing decisions, and a strong online reputation for real estate professionals is a must in catering to this market. In fact, a recent study showedÂ that millennials would prefer to buy a house from a real estate agent influencer over a traditional real estate agent. Showcasing a home on social media, especially on visual-heavy platforms like Instagram, is essential for appealing to millennial buyers.

Amazon’s selection of northern Virginia as the future home of half of its second headquarters is expected to have a dramatic impact on the area’s housing market as the company brings thousands of employees to the region.

WASHINGTON — Amazon’s selection of northern Virginia as the future home of half of its second headquarters is expected to have a dramatic impact on the area’s housing market as the company brings thousands of employees to the region.

Cities across the country were originally competing for 50,000 jobs that were projected to come along with Amazon’s HQ2, but now the workforce will be split between the Virginia and New York locations.

“This is still really good news for our region, even if it’s just 25, 000,” said Corey Burr, senior vice president of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty.

While there is a big difference between 50,000 jobs and 25,000, Burr said Amazon’s decision to split its second headquarters was a smart one, because they will be moving into an area with an already competitive real estate market.

“What it does is it takes a lot of the pressure off their employees to be bidding against each other,” Burr said.

Burr expects the impact of those jobs to be felt the most by people who own real estate in areas 15-20 minutes from the newly rebranded neighborhood of National Landing, which includes portions of Arlington and Alexandria.

“Those places that are a quick walk to Metro stops on the Yellow and Blue line are going to have the biggest immediate impact,” Burr said.

Burr believes not all employees of Amazon who move here will want to buy homes and condos so landlords will also reap the rewards of the second headquarters.

The jobs would come over a 10-12 year period according to the state and while all the employees won’t come at once, Burr said more investors will now begin to target those areas where those workers may want to live.

“I do think it will increase demand even though all he workers are not coming in at one time,” Burr said.

Burr expects the hot neighborhoods for Amazon employees to be portions of Arlington, Alexandria and McLean but he also says other areas, including parts of D.C. and Maryland will also see some Amazon workers moving in.

(TNS)—Shopping for a new home? It’s not all about square footage, counter tops and closet size.

Homes are changing. You’ve got homework to do. Decisions to make. Some will affect your pocketbook for years. Others will improve your quality of life the day you move in.

And one … well, it’ll just make your pooch less smelly.

Here’s a quick tour of cutting-edge amenities now offered at some new-home communities:

California Room
For years, builders would slap an awning on the back of the house and call it a patio. Now, homes frequently come with a modern and stylish upgrade called the California Room.

It’s an indoor-outdoor space with a ceiling and just one or two walls. It can be used as a second dining room, outdoor kitchen or even a living room with couches and flat screen TV. It may have a ceiling fan, fireplace and tile or polished concrete floor. Depending on the level of extravagance, a California Room may add $7,000 to $20,000 to the home price.

The Disappearing Wall
Some homes that don’t have California Rooms instead come with a disappearing back wall made of accordion-style, bi-fold doors that fold aside, opening your great room to the backyard.

“It has huge style points,” recent Folsom, Calif., homebuyer Ian Cornell says. “It looks great and when you are relaxing, I anticipate that feeling of open space and connecting to outdoors.”

Elevators
Baby boomers, some now in their early 70s, want homes they can stay in as physical limitations set in. Home builders call it “aging in place.”

Builder Mike Paris of BlackPine Communities estimates the elevator adds $25,000 to $35,000 to the price of the house, depending on how many “stops” it has—but you don’t have to buy the elevator yet. The spaces on each floor also serve as closets, pantries and storage rooms.

“This gives the buyer the peace of mind that they can age in place without incurring the cost when they may not need the elevator at that time,” Paris says.

Doggy Showers
Fewer young homeowners have kids. More have dogs, though—and many of us consider our dogs full-fledged family members.

Introducing the indoor doggy shower, with tiled walls and hot and cold faucets, often located in the laundry room.

“It’s about three feet-wide, two feet above the ground. A special faucet to wash at your waist. It’s like a half-tub,” says Matt Gustus of Anthem United Homes.

Other builders are adding doggy drawers in the kitchen of new homes: Slide open the bottom cabinet drawer, and it holds your pet’s eating dish and water bowl. Slide it back in and it’s out of sight. No tripping or accidentally kicking the water bowl.

Solar, Now
Going solar is like getting braces. The row of panels on the roof isn’t pretty, but it could pay off with a smile in the long run.

The California Energy Commission will require most new homes to have solar starting in 2020, but some home builders are including solar now as standard equipment. Should you get one? It may require some calculations, based in part on how long you plan to live in this house.

The Energy Commission estimates solar could add $10,000 to the cost of a new home, but the panels could cut average monthly utility bills by $80.

A ‘Tesla’ in the Garage
If you buy a home with a solar rooftop, should you order a solar energy storage battery for your garage, too?

Technology expert Bob Raymer of the California Building Industry Association says it may be a smart move, as utility companies increase rates during new “time of day” electricity pricing.

“There are going to be a lot of homeowners with sticker shock,” Raymer says.

A solar battery in the garage will allow homeowners to minimize evening utility bills by storing their own daytime solar energy, then tapping into it in the evening. The batteries aren’t cheap, though, costing anywhere from $4,000 to $15,000. Tesla is among the makers. Some in the industry say prices will come down if you wait a few years.

Piggy Bank Attics
Energy efficiency is about more than rooftop solar. The real bang for your buck may involve a new approach to attic insulation. Raymer of the BIA suggests buyers ask their builder if the attic can include energy-saving insulation techniques now that will be required in 2020. It involves adding R19 insulation in the attic’s ceiling rafters, basically along the underside of the roof.

That will keep attic temperatures far closer to room temperatures in the house below, which will cool air conditioning ducts that run through the attic, making it easier for them to do their job of delivering cool air through the house.

Cooking With Gas? Nope
New-home energy efficiency is a fast-changing realm. A pioneering company, De Young Builders in Fresno, Calif., is constructing some of the first “zero-net energy” homes in the state.

For cooks, though, going no-carbon means stovetop cooking without gas. That’s going to be a tough sell for some traditionalists. De Young and other builders hope to make it easier by offering electricity-based induction stove tops as an alternative.

Next Gen Homes
Lennar Homes officials say more buyers are multi-generational families who want to live under one roof, but want some distance from each other. So the company’s begun building in-law apartments that are embedded in the main home, with a front door of their own, but with another door to the main house.

They call them Next Gen homes. The apartments have kitchenettes, a living room, bathroom, bedroom, washer and dryer and sometimes their own patio. Grandparents can live there. Or boomerang 20-somethings back from college. Or special needs adult children who can benefit from some independence.

A homeowner can rent the space out to a tenant for extra income, but that may be a little close for comfort. The main house and embedded unit share the same utilities. Plus, you can sometimes hear noise on the other side of the wall.

Foiling Porch Thieves
New homes are techier than ever. Doorbells now double as cameras and loudspeakers. You can see who’s at your front door via a smart phone app while sitting in your office miles away. If it’s someone selling a product, you can pretend you are home, politely saying no thanks. If it’s a delivery service, you can, if you choose, code them into the house, so they don’t have to leave the box on the porch.

Other Tech Options
Smart thermostats: You can set the temperature via smartphone app before you get home, or, some thermostats watch and learn your rhythms and adjust the temperature on their own.

Lennar Homes has introduced “Wi-Fi certified” homes that put an end to an annoying modern issue—reception dead zones. Their system even extends to the backyard. An Amazon rep comes to your house when you move in to help you program your system, which includes Amazon’s Alexa technology.

]]>https://www.tvrghomes.com/blog/ownyourbrand-tvrghomes/feed/0tvrg homes logo no backgroundd00b6dbed6Tips to Sell Your Home in the Fallhttps://www.tvrghomes.com/blog/tips-to-sell-your-home-in-the-fall/
https://www.tvrghomes.com/blog/tips-to-sell-your-home-in-the-fall/#respondFri, 12 Oct 2018 18:44:02 +0000https://www.tvrghomes.com/?p=375It’s common knowledge that spring is the peak real estate season and the best time of year to sell a house. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t sell (and make a profit) during other times of the year, including the fall.

What is the market like for fall real estate?

While it’s true that housing inventory (the number of homes on the market) is lower in the fall than in the spring and summer, it’s also true that buyers who are shopping in the fall are likely to be serious about buying. Fall buyers may be moving because of a job relocation or change in family situation, so they’re often eager to close a deal. And, the hotter your local real estate market, the less significant a role seasonality plays.

What months are in the fall?

To clarify the part of the year we’re talking about, fall includes dates between September 1 and November 30. In most of the country, this time of year is marked by cooler weather, shorter days, and falling leaves — think picking apples, carving pumpkins, and enjoying turkey dinners. Holidays that fall within this period include Labor Day, Columbus Day, Halloween, Veterans Day, and Thanksgiving.

Pros and cons of selling in the fall

Advantages of selling a house in the fall

Serious buyers are motivated to purchase quickly, before the busy holiday season and bad weather set in.

The seasonal atmosphere makes your home feel warm and welcoming.

It’s a misconception that the vast majority of buyers are shopping to fit their kids’ school year schedules. In fact, more than half of buyers don’t have kids under 18 at home, so the fall is as good a time as any.

In early fall, it’s typically light enough to do weeknight showings, in addition to weekend open houses.

Challenges of selling a house in the fall

Since it’s an off-peak season, there are simply fewer buyers than there are in spring.

Worsening weather can make showings difficult, and falling leaves make it hard to keep up with autumn curb appeal.

The 44 percent of buyers who do have kids generally prefer to be settled in a new home before the school year starts.

Busy work and school schedules and holiday plans can make it hard to schedule showings.

Selling a house: Tips for selling in the fall real estate market

Overcome the challenges of selling your house in autumn with these tips.

Move quickly

It’s much easier to sell in the fall than in December and January, when bad weather, holiday schedules, and travel plans limit the availability of buyers, agents, lenders, and real estate attorneys. So, once you’ve decided to sell, work as quickly as possible to prepare your home for listing.

Photograph the property ASAP

Have your professional real estate pictures taken as soon as possible. The earlier in the fall they’re taken, the better the natural light will be and the nicer your outdoor space will look. Even better, if you know you’ll be selling next fall, take your pictures ahead of time, in picture-perfect spring.

Hire a professional agent

When you’re selling in a slower market, it’s important to hire a real estate agent who knows what they’re doing. When you interview agents, ask for their strategies for selling in an off-peak season.

Market creatively

What makes your home, your neighborhood, or your area unique? For example, if you live in a location that attracts winter residents, market to those snowbirds just before winter weather arrives.

Price your property to sell

Use neighborhood comps (also called CMAs) and your agent’s expertise to find the right list price for your home, keeping in mind that your pricing strategy may vary in the fall versus the spring.

You shouldn’t expect a multiple-offer situation that drives the price up above the asking, so make sure you’re comfortable with the list price. And, don’t feel obligated to accept low-ball offers.

If you’re looking for ways to sell your house fast, consider selling your home through Zillow Offers. Zillow may buy your house for cash without the need for a traditional listing, streamlining the process and allowing you to close on the date that’s most convenient for you.

Preparing your home for sale

Get your home open house ready with some simple repair work, maintenance and sprucing up.

Inspect and repair

Make sure you’ve addressed any major issues that would be red flags in an inspection, including water damage, roof repairs, or HVAC system problems. When the real estate market is slower, buyers have more negotiating power, and you don’t want to give them any additional leverage — or opportunities to lower their offer price.

Complete indoor maintenance

Savvy home buyers notice the small details, and certain flaws show up more in the colder fall months. Consider tackling the following to-do list before your first showing:

Insulate around windows and doors — drafts are more noticeable in the fall.

Dust and remove cobwebs, which tend to accumulate this time of year.

Address any eyesores. Potential buyers are going to spend more time indoors during a showing in the fall, so things like touched-up paint and fresh caulking in the bathrooms and kitchen can make a big difference.

Replace air filters. As you start cranking up the heat in the fall, new furnace filters will ensure you don’t push stale smells or excessive dust throughout the house.

Improve fall curb appeal

Even though your flowers might not be in bloom, curb appeal is still important in the fall. Cross these yard maintenance items off your list:

Do some basic yard cleanup — mow the lawn, rake up the leaves, cut back branches, and add mulch for a fresh look.

Clean the gutters.

Add some fall flowers, like chrysanthemums or marigolds.

Sweep or blow walkways before every tour.

Add a clean doormat for wet shoes.

Fall real estate staging tips

Consider these seasonally inspired staging tips that can help you turn fall listing negatives into positives.

Clean and declutter

Doing a deep clean of your home and clearing out the clutter is always a good idea when you’re selling your home. But, when you’re selling to super-motivated fall buyers, streamlining your stuff ahead of time will allow you to accommodate a quick closing if needed.

Add light

Fall means shorter days, with evening light disappearing more and more each night. So, it’s important to brighten up your house. Not only will it help buyers see all your home’s great features, but it’ll make it look inviting from the street:

Clean windows and screens, so you can let in as much light as possible.

Add lamps. Bringing in extra floor or table lamps is an easy (and temporary) way to add light. You might also consider simply swapping bulbs for higher wattage, up to each fixture’s recommended maximum.

Refresh interior paint. It’s well known that light, neutral paint colors appeal to the broadest group of buyers, but during the darkening fall days, they also reflect more light.

Play up the coziness

The leaves are changing, the temperature is dropping, and people start spending more time snuggled up inside. Give your home that warm, inviting fall feel buyers are sure to love:

If you have a gas or electric fireplace, turn it on for showings and open houses.

Limit holiday decorations. Don’t go overboard with the autumn decor. You want to make sure buyers can picture your home as a year-round property, so lose the Halloween decorations in exchange for a modest autumn leaf wreath on the front door.

Set conversational seating arrangements. One staging tip for selling your home you’ll often hear is to rearrange your furniture to make the most of each room (and yes, this might mean removing the flat-screen TV to encourage face-to-face seating arrangements). You want shoppers to visualize entertaining their friends and family in the space.

Offer festive treats. The cherry on top, seasonal goodies like hot cider on the stove or pumpkin cookies can make your home stand out during a fall open house.

]]>https://www.tvrghomes.com/blog/tips-to-sell-your-home-in-the-fall/feed/0light living room in fallBuying a Home in the Fallhttps://www.tvrghomes.com/blog/buying-a-home-in-the-fall/
https://www.tvrghomes.com/blog/buying-a-home-in-the-fall/#respondFri, 12 Oct 2018 18:31:15 +0000https://www.tvrghomes.com/?p=372The real estate market is open 365 days a year – yes, even on holidays – but there are cyclical trends to the marketplace. Some of those ups and downs are based on mortgage interest rates and housing availability, but some are based on season.

Next to spring, fall is the busiest season for home buying and selling. Autumn offers certain benefits to home buyers, including year-end tax breaks, pleasant weather conditions for moving and a wide selection of homes for sale. Read on to learn the advantages of buying in the fall.

Year-End Tax Breaks
Come September and October, people start to think about what year-end tax breaks they might be eligible for. Fortunately for home buyers, owning a home can yield great dividends in tax returns. For example, both mortgage interest and property taxes are deductible from gross income. Furthermore, if you have prepaid some interest before the due date of your first payment, and if you close your loan before the year’s end, that interest can also be deducted.

Getting Ahead of Mother Nature
Buying a house before the deep freeze of winter sets in is very appealing to most home buyers. No one wants to worry about icy roads, snowstorms or blackout conditions on moving day, nor is it fun to move in sweltering summer heat.

School Year and Holidays
By wintertime, kids have settled into school, established friendships and become involved in extracurricular activities. Moving in summer would be least disruptive to your children’s schooling or social calendar, but autumn is next best. Also, by moving in fall, you’ll be settled snugly into your new home before Thanksgiving and the winter holidays.

More Home Choices
While home demand is not as keen in fall as it is in spring, it’s still high, so competition can be high, too. Fall buyers and sellers tend to be motivated to move, unlike the window-shoppers who sometimes come out in spring.

You may experience pressure to buy, due to the quick turnaround of houses on the market, but you’ll also benefit from the broad selection of homes available. In fact, between September and December, you may be able to visit several open houses in a single day, and listings will be updated frequently. Therefore, to make sure you don’t miss out on your dream house, it’s a good idea to regularly check listings and check in with your Realtor.

Fall Home-Buying Tips
Given the home-buying competition and the short, pre-holiday timetable in autumn, you may be tempted to place a bid that is out of your price range, for fear of losing the home. Before you make an offer, know what kind of house you need and what you can realistically afford, and stick to your budget. You may want to explore prequalifying for a loan so that you’ll be ready to act when you find the home you want. And as always, whatever season you buy in, buy at the best time for you and your family, and hold out for the right house – there are always more homes to see and to choose among.

With fall just around the corner, as our thoughts turn to lattes and hoodies, we’re also getting excited about this year’s interior design trends! Retro and modern, texture and sleek, bright color and warm woods will all have a place in this season’s designs. Keeping an eye to the future, there will also be some new technologies making their first appearances in accent pieces and lighting. Here are some of the elements we’re excited about:

Laminates

The European invasion continues with a contemporary style. Bold colors, high gloss and slick laminate are a great choice for kitchens this year. There’s no need to shy away from color in your kitchen these laminates will be bold, fresh, and fun to work with.

Retro

We’re still feeling the retro vibe and we may even see some disco ball action ahead! We’re watching the movement from mid-century modern to a groovy 70’s style with rounded lines, glitter, and jewel-tones making an appearance. Keep an eye out for retro colors and curves in upcoming designs.

Antique/Shabby Chic

If bright colored cabinets aren’t your style, no worries! Wood grain, especially heavy graining, is making a comeback in both kitchens and bathrooms. We love the beauty of a clean white tiled bath with wood grain vanity and accents to create an oasis within the home. For kitchens, clean white and rustic wood create a warm welcome for friends and family alike.

White

White is still the main color for cabinets, but it is accented with deeper wood tones such as walnut or deep finished cherry and oak. This combination blends both the retro feel with a clean contemporary look.

Ceramics

Red brick is back and painted tile is making an impact as well. Fall is the perfect time to incorporate the coziness of ceramics into your home. These elements are moving from the hearth to accent walls and backsplashes with beautiful results.

New Technologies

LED and 3D printing will bring us new creations in design. Some elements will combine both 3D and LED to create exciting new accents within the home. We’re excited to see the many uses for these emerging technologies.

]]>https://www.tvrghomes.com/blog/fall-design-trends/feed/0AKG Design Studio7 Ways to Make Your Life Easier During a Home Renovationhttps://www.tvrghomes.com/blog/7-ways-to-make-your-life-easier-during-a-home-renovation/
https://www.tvrghomes.com/blog/7-ways-to-make-your-life-easier-during-a-home-renovation/#respondFri, 08 Jun 2018 15:47:51 +0000https://www.tvrghomes.com/?p=3537 Ways to Make Your Life Easier During a Home RenovationA home renovation is as exciting as it is hectic. Between coordinating contractors and choosing fixtures, your home is all out of sorts – which is overwhelming in and of itself.

Luckily, it doesn’t have to be a challenge. Keep these tips in mind if you’re struggling through a home renovation. When all is said and done, you’ll finish with a gorgeous addition to your home and a still maintain your sanity.

1. Get Your Meals Delivered:

On-demand food delivery services will become lifesavers when dinnertime comes along. This is especially true when renovating your kitchen, which leaves you cooking out of your living room or on the grill every night-all while dodging obstacles like your misplaced table and boxes of kitchenware.

2. Delegate Your Laundry

Whether your laundry room is being remodeled, or you simply don’t have the extra time to get it done during the renovation, sending your laundry to a wash and fold service is a simple way to make your life easier. If there are a number of providers to choose from nearby, keep the following tips in mind, from the guide, Choosing Your Dry Cleaners:

What services do they offer?

What do the reviews say?

Is it easy to get a hold of customer service?

How affordable are they? (The key: avoiding hidden fees)

3. Escape for the Weekend

Sometimes, you just need a break from the non-stop drilling and paint fumes. Take time to relax and get away from the chaos with a staycation, feeling all the benefits of a getaway without the costs or time away from work.

4. Create a “Me Space”

The most difficult part about renovating your home is having to deal with the excess dust, dirt and clutter, not to mention being surrounded by the workers who are making it all happen. Create a “me” space within your home where you and your family can relax and enjoy quieter alone time.

5. Tackle One Project at a Time

While it might be tempting to get a few home renovation projects done, it’s better to tackle one at a time. Planning to renovate more than one room will not only make it more stressful, but could also leave you with minimal working fixtures to use for everyday tasks like showering, cooking or cleaning. Don’t make your life harder than it needs to be during this time and focus on just one thing at a time.

6. Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst

A lot of things can (and will) go wrong during your home renovation. Budgets can be blown, contractors can unexpectedly quit, and pipes can break. To put your mind at ease, and be more prepared, Home Advisor shares a few common challenges you’ll likely face:

Cost and budgeting: “One of the biggest mistakes homeowners commit is not leaving cash in reserve in case anything goes wrong,” suggests Home Advisor.

Materials: Choosing materials on a whim that don’t fit with your home can be costly further down the road.

Contractors: Taking too long, charging unexpected fees, or not doing what is asked of them.

7. Prioritize

When you’re being asked to make dozens of decisions in a short amount of time, your priorities have a way of getting lost in the mix. Stay focused on what is most important to you and avoid getting sidetracked or swayed into changing your original plan if you’re not one hundred percent certain. Keep your plans in front of you as you make changes or additions to what you’re doing so you never lose site of what you originally wanted.

Stay Calm and Renovate

Home renovations take a lot of patience and planning, and these seven tips will help make your life easier and less stressful during that time. Delegate where you can-food and laundry-expect the unexpected, and keep your priorities front and center as options and ideas are brought to you from contractors. In the end, you’ll be able to say you survived your home renovation.

Jessica Thiefels has been writing and editing for more than 10 years and is now a professional freelancer and consultant. She’s worked with a variety of real estate clients, and has been featured on Forbes and Market Watch. She’s also written for House Hunt Network, Homes.com and more. Follow her on Twitter @Jlsander07 and connect on LinkedIn.

Choosing the right bathroom design for you and your family can seem overwhelming as the number of choices to pick from can seem endless. To help narrow down your options below is an insider’s guide to bathroom lighting, paint colors, storage, and flooring.

Lighting – Although, you may dream of beautiful light fixtures in your bathroom the reality is if you pick the wrong one, you could look an unattractive yellowish-green color while putting on your makeup. Instead, we suggest trying to use as much natural light in the bathroom as possible. Alternatively, if you love the appeal of a romantic sconce lighting, don’t use this as your primary light source, add some recessed lighting overhead.

Paint Colors – Similar to lighting, paint color can affect the look of your skin color, so be careful with paint selection that would make you look sickly or you have a bit too much makeup on. When choosing the right color for your bathroom, white never goes out of style. If you love the idea of white but need some color in your life, you can always do white cabinets, sinks, or toilets, and paint your bathroom something brighter like Sherwin-Williams Organic Green, which is part of the 2018 Sherwin Williams Color Swatch.

Flooring – With the frigid temperatures, the country has been feeling, this is the perfect time to talk about heated flooring. Heated flooring is relatively inexpensive and easy to install under the tile. Heat flooring is usually a mat with coils in them. They are installed under tiles and often come as a kit. Many kits have temperature controls, so you can set the heat to be on from during the time you and your family take your showers when you are ready to get in and out of the shower. When your floor is warm, you stay warm, allowing you to save on your heating bill, because you will not be required to use as much forced heat.

Storage – When designing a small bathroom, it is important to remember to use all the space wisely. The first step to design is matching the storage space to your lifestyle. So, first ask yourself if you need everything your bathroom is currently storing? If you do not, lighten the load and design for a space where you can comfortably get to everything you need and want in your bathroom.

Utilize the wall space above the toilet by adding floating shelves. If you do like to hold a lot of your makeup and toiletries, along with towels for yourself and guests in your bathroom, we suggest a vanity with drawers where you can add various sized baskets organize your things.